Packers Sign $11 Million Defensive Back After Free Agent Pitch

This season, the Green Bay Packers will rely on their defense, and the secondary will be crucial to their success in 2023.

To avoid leaving their great cornerbacks on coverage islands, the Packers need to upgrade at safety. Jonathan Owens and Tarvarius Moore are Green Bay's two free agent safety additions this offseason because they know this.

But the idea that those two guys can successfully replace Adrian Amos, who had a bad year in 2022 during his fourth season with the Packers before leaving for the New York Jets this winter, is risky. John Johnson III, a former Cleveland Browns safety, is the only notable free agent left.

The Packers should add to the position even if Owens or Moore impress in training camp.

Darnell Savage, a former first-round choice, will be a free agent next spring. Meanwhile, Rudy Ford's one-year, $1.5 million contract shows how much the team values his long-term potential. Injury might weaken the Packers' safety group.

This supports Bleacher Report's argument that Green Bay should pay more for Johnson's versatility in the defensive backfield.

John Johnson played both safety positions and the slot for six seasons. “He’s the quintessential ‘glue guy’ who can move around like a chess piece on the back end of a defense,” Moton wrote on July 7.

“Unlike many defensive backs, Johnson has remained steady in coverage, allowing no more than an 82.8 passer rating in coverage every year since 2018.”

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